


Haelan story part 1

by busket



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:15:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27432631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/busket/pseuds/busket
Summary: umm i just wanted to write a short story about my unicorn man oc!! might delete this later if i decide to make this a comic instead, i just wanted to get it out there
Kudos: 7





	Haelan story part 1

Tranquil running water, bird songs, the soft morning breeze through the ancient oak branches above. Haelan’s peaceful dip was interrupted by a soft gasp and the sound of a basket falling to the mossy rocks behind him. He turned to see a young woman, barely out of her teens, dressed head to toe in white vestments. She was shocked, her delicate hands clasped over her mouth.  
Haelan felt his face go hot with embarrassment. “I am so sorry,” he stammered and lowered himself into the water to further cover his bottom half. “I heard this spring was magic, and I didn’t think anyone else was here- well, I did notice the temple over there, but I assumed it was empty! I didn’t even think that a lady lived here.”  
“You’re…” she whispered, nearly breathless “You’re a unicorn…”  
Haelan hesitated for a moment, then pointed to the long, straight horn jutting from his forehead. “You mean, you can see this? I don’t just look like a strange, pale man to you?”  
“Of course I can see!” the girl was on the verge of joyful tears now. “I’ve been waiting to see you my whole life! At last, you’ve come!”  
“Then maybe you can help me!” Haelan said. “I’m sorry, but I’m not supposed to look like this actually, I’m trying to return to my normal self.”  
The girl gasped. “I see, that’s why you have such a peculiar shape! I always thought unicorns looked like white horses?”  
“Right. You understand, don’t you? I’m not a unicorn, I’m a man. Is that clear?” Haelan reiterated.  
She nodded vigorously. “Clear as a cold autumn morning! You poor thing, something terrible must have happened to you. Please, what can I do to help? I’ll do anything.” She knelt at the edge of the pool.  
Haelan lowered himself further into the cool water. “Well, like I said, I heard that this spring had magical properties...I thought that bathing here would help me change back? Do you know anything about that?”  
“Yes, it’s true! This water flows deep underground from an ancient, sacred pool, it’s most definitely magical. You would know all about that, though.” she bashfully averted her gaze. “That’s why the temple was built here. We can enhance the innate magic of the water with herbs and oils from the plants that grow around here…” she looked back to him, but couldn’t seem to bring herself to look him in the eyes. “P-perhaps, if I prepare a proper bath for you, that might help?”  
“Well...I suppose it’s better than doing nothing.” Haelan muttered. “I could do with a nice warm bath after all my travels, at the very least.”  
The girl stood up and brushed the leaf litter from her long, heavy skirt. “Wonderful! Please follow me. O-oh! Of course, silly me, modesty!” She gathered laundry she had dropped onto the rocks and removed a white blanket from the bundle. “Here, you can use this to cover yourself. I promise it’s clean. I was really just keeping myself busy, you know, you can only sweep the temple floors so many times!”  
Haelan warily stepped out of the water while the girl averted her eyes. He accepted the blanket and wrapped it around himself. “My clothes are just under that bush there, but there’s no sense in putting them back on if I’m going right back into the water, I guess.”  
“I’ll get them for you!” She offered, and knelt down to retrieve the garments. Along with the clothing was Haelan’s sword, his bow and a quiver of arrows. She seemed a bit surprised. “Weapons? Why do you have weapons?”  
Haelan looked puzzled as he pulled the blanket closer to his skin, chilled by the air. “How else should I defend myself from monsters?”  
“Ah, I’m sorry!” the girl said, and gathered up the tools as well. “I hadn’t realized it was that bad...In any case, I’ll have your clothes washed for you as well, if you’d like.”  
“That’s very kind, thank you.” Haelan smiled.  
She smiled back, her cheeks rosy. “Um, what name may I call you?”  
“I’m Haelan, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”  
“The pleasure is all mine, Haelan.” She said. “I’m Genevieve.”  
The two of them stood in silence for a moment by the pool. Running water, bird songs, and the soft morning breeze.  
“Um, Genevieve.” Haelan broke the silence. “The bath? Are we going?”  
“OH! Y-yes, yes I’m terribly sorry, I got lost in my thoughts! Please, I’ll take you to the temple now, follow me!” She hurried off towards the stone structure perched at the top of the stairs nearby.

Together they entered the temple. It was small and quiet, clearly old, but very well maintained and sparkling clean.  
“I’m the only one here, at the moment.” Genevieve said as they crossed the threshold. “There are only a few other sisters here besides me. I’m the youngest, so I’ve been left to watch over the temple while the others spread the word of our work here.”  
“We’re very deep in the woods. Not many people travel this way anymore; I’m sure it’s hard to make enough donations to get by, isn’t it?” Haelan asked. “By the way, I’m afraid I can’t offer very much money for this, just so you know.”  
“I’d never dream of asking you for anything, Haelan!” Genevieve asked. “This is a bit embarrassing, but this temple is actually dedicated to unicorns.” She gestured to a large tapestry on the wall as they passed. It was a scene with a pristine white unicorn in a field of deep green grass and multicolored flowers. Threads of silver were sewn in, making the unicorn shimmer magically. Haelan couldn’t help but recoil a bit at the sight of the magical beast in the artwork.  
“By the way, if you don’t mind my asking,” Genevieve said, still too shy to look directly at him and notice his discomfort. “How did you, um, how should I put this...how did you find yourself in a form like that?”  
“Oh, well.” Haelan tried to think of the correct phrasing, a way to talk about his heinous crime but sugar-coated as much as possible. Nothing came to mind, there was no way to say it kindly. “I don’t want to talk about it.” he said. “Tell me more about this temple.”  
“Yes, certainly!” Genevieve said, and led him down the hall. “Me and the other sisters, we’re taught from a young age to make healing antidotes, salves, soaps and medicine from plants, just like unicorns. Well, unicorns aren’t apothecarists of course, their healing power is innate, we’re just inspired, you know...”  
She trailed off as they arrived into a small room, lined with tile. A deep, square tub was inset into the floor in the center of the room.  
“Ah, I’ll need to prepare the water! Please wait here, if you don’t mind! I apologize for the wait!” Genevieve said, then hurried out of the room.  
Haelan sat on the bench along the wall, still wrapped in the blanket. It was damp now and he wished he had asked her to leave his dry clothes to change into; she had only left his sword, bow and arrows by the door. She was very kind, but he wasn’t used to being doted on.  
There was a tile mosaic in the bottom of the tub, another unicorn design. This many unicorns was a bit much, even for a temple that worshipped them, he thought.  
After a while, Genevieve re-entered the room, pushing what looked like a large basin of water on a cart. The center of the basin was hanging on an axle, and after she unlocked the hinge and a bit of effort, she was able to push the hot water into the tub. The room instantly filled with steam and the smell of herbs from the medicated water.  
“That’s that!” Genevieve said. She removed her headdress to wipe the sweat from her brow, revealing her straw blonde hair. “It’s all ready, Haelan, make yourself comfortable.”  
Haelan carefully entered the tub, leaving the blanket on the floor beside it. He settled into the hot water, enjoying the steam on his face. Genevieve removed a number of glass bottles from the cart, filled with a manner of olive and amber colored liquids and began pouring some into the tub. The smells were heavenly.  
Even if this doesn’t work, thought Haelan, he couldn’t really complain about getting a relaxing spa treatment either.  
“I actually joined this temple when I was a little girl, all because I wanted to see a unicorn…” Genevieve mused, as she popped the cork on another bottle. “It’s always been my dream. I know that only the pure of heart are able to see unicorns, so I worked hard here every day and stayed true. Some travelers came through who could have whisked me away to be a bride, but I never allowed myself to fall in love. Heartbreak is the fastest way to become cold to the world, after all.”  
“Hm.” Haelan grunted, trying to find a comfortable place to rest his head against the tile. “I don’t know much about being pure of heart, but I find that a little sad. Maybe if you had fallen in love, you wouldn’t have felt like you needed to see a unicorn.”  
She paused, and looked Haelan in the eyes for possibly the first time. “Haelan...have you fallen in love?”  
“Yes, there’s someone that I love.” Haelan answered. “I don’t know if she loves me back. That feeling in itself is better than being ‘pure of heart’, whatever that means; even if heartbreak can make you jaded.”  
“...I see.” she said softly. “I think I understand you now, Haelan.” Genevieve picked up another bottle, but hesitated. “Ah, um, this one is meant to go in your hair, but...it’s so white and lovely, I don’t think I should touch it.”  
“That’s alright, it’s just hair.” Haelan responded. “I don’t even care for it very much.”  
“You’re too humble, Haelan! No no, I think you ought to do it.” She giggled and handed him the bottle. “After all, there’s very few circumstances where touching a unicorn’s mane is acceptable.”  
Haelan quietly looked at the bottle in his hand, then back up to her. “Genevieve. You do understand I’m not a unicorn, right? I’m a man?”  
“Yes, certainly.” She responded. “At this moment, you’re taking the form of a man.”  
He stared at her and blinked in disbelief. “N...no. I am a human. I’m a human person. I come from the town of Avenroe, I’m a knight. Did you think I was a unicorn this whole time?”  
“I...you’re...you’re a man? A human man?” Genevieve stammered.  
“That’s what I told you!” Haelan said. “What did you think I meant?”  
“I-I thought you had been enchanted to look like a human, and you were trying to regain your original form!” she answered. “Then, you said that you had fallen in love, and I thought perhaps you had fallen for a human woman and you had willingly allowed yourself to become a man to win her heart, but she scorned you and you were trying to reverse the spell to move on from your heartbreak! Your first human emotions being love and sorrow, one after the other, it’s so tragic and beautiful!”  
“Why would you jump to all that? You made up most of that yourself!” Haelan cried. “So is this water supposed to turn me back into a human or am I going to wake up tomorrow walking on four legs?!”  
“Well, it, um…” Genevieve rolled the bottom of one of the glass bottles against the tile floor. “This formula is meant to enhance the magic that’s already inherent in the patient...it’s very popular with mages, and the like. I thought if I could boost your own magic, then you could change yourself back.”  
“My own magic?” Haelan said, exasperated. “I’m sick of my own magic, it’s useless! All it does is make weeds grow around me when I sleep, and makes woodland creatures flock to me like I’m coated in honey. I can’t even hunt them; I can’t eat meat anymore, even if it’s not something I killed myself! This is a curse, I can’t wait to have less magic!”  
Genevieve huffed, growing indignant and defensive. “Sir Haelan, please don’t speak about unicorn magic like that! You may not have the best grasp on your abilities, but normally unicorns are perfect healers! They can even raise the dead! They’re selfless, and pure, and wonderful!”  
“Ha, they’re certainly not!” Haelan scoffed. “What kind of selfless, pure creature swears vengeance on someone in their dying breath? I think a perfect creature would have known it was a mistake and forgiven me!”  
Haelan instantly realized his mistake and slapped his hands over his mouth, splashing up a bit of bath water. Genevieve was stunned.  
“Y-you called it a curse?” She muttered, and glanced back to the weapons by the entrance. “What...what did you do?”  
“Genevieve, listen,” Haelan said. “I know it was wrong, it was an accident. I couldn’t see it properly, it looked like an albino doe to me! I never would have done it if I could tell it was a unico-”  
Haelan was interrupted as he was suddenly thrust under the water by the girl. The oils and soaps in the water burned his eyes and nostrils, but he was still stronger than her, even with the full weight of all her rage pushing him down into the water. After a brief struggle, he pushed her aside and clambered out of the tub. Slipping on the tile and completely ignoring modesty, he scrambled to the door, grabbed his weapons, and hurried down the hall, leaving a wet trail behind him.  
He had already gotten outside and was trying not to slip and kill himself on the stone staircase, when he felt a bundle of fabric hit the back of his head. He grabbed it, it was his clothes. Genevieve was standing at the temple entrance, face red, shouting in rage.  
“Murderer!” She screamed “Unicorn killer! Never come back here again! I’ll never see a real unicorn because of you, because I’ve never hated anyone before now! I hope you never get your body back, I hope you suffer!!”  
Her curses send shivers down Haelan’s spine, and running through the woods soaking wet and naked didn’t help either. It was another few minutes before he found a stream of relatively clean and non-magical water to wash off the excess soap.


End file.
